Refill unit for blade magazines



y 1953 J. MUROS 2,639,030

REFILL UNIT FOR BLADE MAGAZINES Filed Feb. 25, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 3. //VV[/\/7Z7/P JOSEPH MUROS.

May 19, 1953 J. MUROS 2,639,030,

REFILL UNIT FOR BLADE MAGAZINES Filed Feb. 25, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 x f- @ZW OR/VEY Patented May 19, 1953 nsmmi-ommwon BLADE'IMKGAZINESi 7 Joseph Mhros,.Gambridge, Mass assignon t0. ']2he=.- Gillette-Company,. a. corporation ofl'lolaware ap liosoou-rebm zs, 194-7, serialiism 73mm 4-.Claims;- (c1. 2-06'-1T61);

This: invention. comprises; a: refill? unit for use: in. connection. withmagazines: for: safety" razor" blades: or: the like;v that isto say:,. a; unit? com prising a. blade-o1:- ae stach' or'blhoesassemblerl and: packa8ed'.so that; it may: be distributed; in: comtheme as a. sales: articles and. inserted bodily" in a: magazine from: whichzthe blade car-the individual" biades ot the: StHICkifi-lfitl) besubsequently-ejected or delivered-as: desiretm by: the user;

One or distributing: safetymazorrblades to: the public; is to: package them in as completemagazine which mayinclude-inner and outer shells providech with a. blade exits opening? and aspring" acting to positiom a. selected blade inalignment with; the opening: im. the magazine; Itris notusual-ly gracticableeto. return such magas. zines fonrefilling," and they are too expensive to be thrown away aften the change of bladeshas" been exhausted. The-present: invention contemplates: a, unit that; may be conveniently produced by'the blade manufacturer, which will; adequatelysafeguard a blade or a stacki-of: blades-i in: stor=-- age-sshipinent and sales=handling-,. and which; may be .readily inserted in, andiorm apartzoi. the. ulti mate: magazine. assembly and construction Goingmore into detail, the unitoi my inventioncomprises a rectangular. shell or framev hav ing therein. blade-locating means, a stack of slotted; blades held; thereby with their sharpened: edges out. of contact, with the: walls oh the unit, amla retaining elementlremovahly secured toithe; shell or. frame andv having. a; portion shapedl to engage the blade. stack and. hold; it against removall.v Preferably and as herein showmthe re taining; element is mflHgflitOibfi disengaged. ironi. the refill unit simultaneously with the introdnor tion of the unit. into. the casing of. the magazine of which it. is to become a. part...

These and. other features, of the invention will he; best understood. and" appreciated fromthe fol;- lowing description of; a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes oi illustration and. shown in. the accompanying, drawings in. which;

Figure Lis a. view in perspective. onian enlarged. scalerof the. refill unit;v

Figure 2 is a view in cross-section. on line 2--2.' of Figure 1.;. I

Figure 3. is aview: of the. unit and. its enclosing magazine inv longitudihalj section;

Figure.- 4' is. a" view in perspective showing;. the k uniti partially insented'in the magazihewithwhich it: isto. be associated Figure. 5' is a, view in longitudinal sectibnotthe partially; charged"; magazine; and

Figure 6 is aview'in'. perspective of the retain.- ing member or keeper:

2 a The refilliunitfseiectmic forpurposes; of illustm tion; is constructed: and arranged to handle: double-edgeds1otteck bladesiofia mercial type. and it willf. beiunderstoodctimo the. illustrated construction may." be: modified; withim the scope-01" the: invention to' aecommodateihladea of other types;

The refill: unitv as;illhst'nmteti: in: Figs: 1 2; come prises an open' rectangular shell: having: a bottom |-0:,,side:wa'l1s- M1 and? Ma notched rearwall I3 and a front well Mr The-bottom; hY/isiprcuioedi. Wit-h*fiW0!10I1gTTD&Ia11BIT slots wand ltshap'ed to receive withclearanco sift-irked spring which part: or: theimagazineconstruction; to: be presently described. The-slots l5 lii' extend fbrwardiy" from adjacent-om theerear walker tl'ie unittbi and up into its 1mm: .wall. likasshown ihrFigrli. front wall; H is. somowhat shorten than the other walls of the unit;. terminating so as; to? mitiyide the: lower' edge: on an: exit opening: when the is assembled in: the magazine. The wall N: is also: provided. at its upnen edge with is pair of" forwardlwextending: ears on'lugs: M;

A- blade-locating: projection in. the shapeor a: rib or bar l8.- rises from: the: bottom; Iii" of." the unit being disposed: in. the median axis: thereof andzhavingarrear beveled? end! Isa. Arspring clip 21% is secured; to the-notched? rear:- W821i? ["3 of; the; unit by a hollow rivet Ms.v The: clip: extends: downwardly from: the wall I3.- through asl goose neclo shank. and: then. Ionvamdly' beneath; it: in" a': flat motion: provided with: a circularairir-zrture 2m and is? designed to interlock. with the" magazine preferably by engaging; the: projecting? endiof: rivet 3.61 in the: bottom; of the: magazine casing;

Figs. 1=-3 the?v refill: unit, is: shown as: loaded with a stack ofr tent or; twelveblacllesv 23*, each having. a: central. longitudinal; slot;- to: receive theblade-locatingbar 18- and-l being; notched. in each of itsv cornensso that it'- presents elongated sharpened endiportionsi; The-blade SlOtSr'i-hfihldfii local enlargements shaped. to engage: bladesposiitioning projections. of; the: razors in: which: the: blades: are tobe used. The-w blades are held? by" I the bar? 18' with; them shanp longitudinal edges safely out cf. contact with; the; waallsof the um'i'r and it willv be understood. that the blades: may: be delivered to the unit: by automatic machinery without any dangei ofi oontactwith or the. exceedingly keen and thereforedelicate edges produced. under: the most favorable manufactur-- ing condition. 1

After thestack. has been assembled in the shell upon thebar It, it is held. inithatapositionr: by, akeeper. or retaining, clip ML This is; as best shown in'Figure 6, with a bridge, side 3 walls and intumed bottom flanges which fit about the shell of the unit in such manner that the clip may slide longitudinally upon it. The bridge portion of the keeper is provided with a pair of downwardly-extending ribs 25. These bear frictionally upon the uppermost blade 23 in the blade stack, holding the blades down against the bottom ID of the shell and positively preventing them from lifting above the bar I8 50 that they may not be disengaged. The wall ll of the shell is provided with a hole 21 and one wall of the clip is provided with a pressed in boss 26 which is adapted to snap into the hole 21 and frictionally hold the keeper in its operative position on the shell as shown in Fig. 1. It will be seen that the ribs of the keeper engage the blade stack over a substantial area on both sides of the bar [3. Accordingly as long as the keeper 24 occupies its operative position the blades are safely retained in the position shown. On the other hand when the keeper is forcibly freed from its locking engagement, the keeper may be moved longitudinally and entirely disengaged from the shell. In this disengaging movement the ribs 25 of the keeper pass freely through the notches or apertures 25a provided for that purpose in the rear wall l3 of the shell. A refill unit with its charge of blades may be now wrapped and distributed to the users through the ordinary channels of commerce. It is adapted in its illustrated construction to be used in combination with a blade magazine of the type shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 and the magazine, completed by the insertion of the refill unit, may be used to supply razor blades one at a time to a safety razor, for example to a safety razor such as that shown in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,392,432, Testi, dated January 8, 1946.

The illustrated magazine comprises a rectangular casing or shell having a bottom 30, side walls upwardly against the flanges 33, thereby maintaining the uppermost blade in the stack in alignment with the exit opening of the magazine which is to be formed above the front wall It andthe ears ll of the refill unit.

The casing is also equipped with a feed slide a comprising a corrugated head 31 and a thin elongated plate 38 provided with a central rib 33 arranged to travel in a space between the inturned ribs 33 of the magazine shell. The plate 38 is provided near the head 31 with a pair of diverging slots 4|, one being shown in Fig. 4. These slots have offset edges arranged to engage the two rear corners of the blade uppermost in the blade stack. The stroke of the feed slide is limited by upturned ears 40 located at the forward end of the flanges 33 and similar ears 4| located at the rear end of these flanges.

.When the refill unit is to be inserted in the casing of the magazine the forward end of the unit is telescopically entered within the rear end of the magazine shell and the unit is pushed forwardly. A preliminary position of the unit is indicated in Fig. 5 and the final position of the unit in the magazine casing is shown in Fig. 3.

Itwiil be seen that as the refill unit is advanced the keeper encounters the rear end of the magazine casing, as shown in Fig. 4, and is held in stationary position while the unit is advanced within it by pressure of the user against its rear end. The keeper 24 is finally disengaged from the rear end of the unit having remained at rest while the shell of the refill unit travels entirely through it. The flanges of the, keeper are cut away, as shown in Fig. 6 so'that the thumb of the operator may follow the rear wall of the refill unit completely through the clip as suggested in Fig. 3. The advancing movement of the unit continues until the hole 22 in the spring clip 20 is brought into registration with the rivet 36 in the bottom of the magazine. When this occurs, the rivet 36 snaps into the hole 22 in the clip and the refill unit is automatically locked in its proper position within the shell of the magazine. Meanwhile the slots l5 and I6 have been moved into registration with the forks of the spring 35. The spring accordingly passes upwardly through the bottom I0 of the refill unit, engaging and lifting the blade-stack into contact with the flanges 33 of the magazine shell and aligning the uppermost blade of the stack in position to be engaged by the feed slide 3'i38 and ejected when the latter is advanced. The magazine thus completed may be used until the charge of razor blades is exhausted, whereupon the spring clip 20 may be broken or disengaged from the rivet 36 and the empty unit withdrawn and discarded. Subsequently a new refill unit may be inserted and the magazine again placed 'in commission for use. It will be understood thatin bending or breaking the clip 20, as is necessary to permit removal of the empty refill unit from the magazine, the device as a whole will be damaged so that it cannot be used again.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent:

' 1. In a blade magazine having an outer casing of rectangular cross section, a refill unit for safety razor blades comprising an elongated shell of smaller cross section than the outer casing having a bottom, front and rear walls, the bottom having longitudinal spring-receiving slots, the shell being partially inserted in and having a sliding flt with the casing, and a hold-down keeper slideable on the shell and having down wardly-extending ribs' therein and an end portion engaged with the magazine casing, the said rear wall of the shell being notched to permit the passage there-through of the ribs of the keeper.

2. A refill unit for safety razor blades comprising an elongated shell having a bottom, front and rear wa1ls,'an internal ribupstanding from said bottom wall, a stack of slotted blades threaded on said rib, a hold-down keeper slidable on said shell and having downwardlyextending ribs normally engaging the blade stack, the said rear wall of said shell being apertured to permit the passage there-through of the magazine casing, the said rear wall of the shell being notched to permit the passage therethrough of the ribs of the keeper.

4 A blade magazine having an outer casing of rectangular cross section, a refill unit for safety razor blades comprising an elongated shell of smaller cross section than the outer casing having a bottom, front and rear walls, the bottom having an upstanding internal rib, a stack of slotted blades threaded on the rib, the shell being partially inserted in and having a sliding fit with the casing, and a. hold-down keeper slidable on the shell and having downwardly-extending ribs therein normally engaging the blade stack and an end portion engaged with the magazine, the said rear wall of the shell being notched to permit the passage there-through of the ribs of the keeper.

JOSEPH MUROS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Kylberg Dec. 1, 1931 Swan June 14, 1932 Sherman May 16, 1933 Hyatt Aug. 6, 1935 Kuhnl June 2, 1936 Monnet Jan. 21, 1941 Muros June 20, 1944 Reyburn 1- Aug. 8, 1944 Testi Aug. 13, 1946 Tuerff et a1 Nov. 25, 1947 Aldham May 3, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Apr. 16, 1925 Great Britain Mar. 15, 1928 Great Britain June 8, 1939 

